Safe Work Month 2024

October is National Safe Work Month and WorkSafe's theme for this year is 'Health and safety is everybody’s business'.

Two in-person forums are offered, where you can access expert industry speakers with ideas and practical approaches to fortify your workplace. This year’s focus is on musculoskeletal disorders and agricultural safety and options are available for people to attend these events online.

Additionally, through October there is a statewide tour of the stage play ‘The Slip: What good looks like’ (The Slip), supported by the Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Program. This live theatre explores the successful safety leadership seen in a real life mine slip and is free for the WA mining industry.

The final week of Safe Work Month will end with the Work Health and Safety Excellence Awards ceremony held at Optus Stadium in Perth.

Events

All Safe Work Month events are free but require registration for both in-person and online attendance. Places are limited for in-person attendance.

EveryBODY matters – musculoskeletal disorder forum

Event details

  • When: Tuesday 15 October 2024
  • Registration: from 8 am
  • Event 9 am - 3.30 pm (morning SafeTea and lunch provided)
  • Where: Optus Stadium, Riverview Room

What is it about?

This forum brings together a range of industry experts to discuss this nationally prioritised work health and safety topic. It is open to anyone with an interest in making workplaces healthier and safer from a human factors and ergonomics perspective.

Program of topics

  • Keynote on the urgent need to address psychosocial hazards in MSD prevention
  • Risk management of hazardous manual tasks
  • WA’s workers’ compensation and injury management scheme
  • Personal impacts of chronic MSD injuries
  • Manual handling risks, technology, and engagement
  • MSD factors in handling patients from a health and safety representative’s perspective
  • Scenarios brought to life by actors to explore organisational and personal mindsets and practices around MSD

Program speakers

  • Keynote - Professor Jodi Oakman, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University
  • Greg Borman, Director and CEO, Biosymm
  • Rob Curtis, Paramedic and 2023 Health and safety representative of the year, St John Ambulance
  • Sally North, WorkSafe Commissioner
  • Wendy Pietrocola, Consultant Ergonomist, Ergonomica
  • Sue Steel, Director, Red Earth Health Solutions
  • Chris White, CEO, WorkCover WA

Conference facilitator, conversation specialist and actor Myles Pollard will MC the forum, including a discussion of two MSD scenarios titled ‘Ouch!’ performed by actors.

Take the learning beyond the podium into the breaks and connect, collaborate and share ideas with other industry professionals.

Who should attend?

Human factors and ergonomics industry members, PCBUs, health and safety representatives, workers and other professionals who have a role or interest in health and safety and prevention in WA workplaces are encouraged to attend.

Book to attend

Farm safety matters - agricultural safety forum in Bunbury

Event details

  • When: Friday 25 October 2024
  • Registration: from 9 am
  • Event: 9.30 am to 1.00 pm followed by a networking lunch
  • Where: Mantra Bunbury

What is it about?

The combination of hazards and the nature of farm work makes agriculture one of the most dangerous sectors in which to work. We bring together sector experts and WorkSafe agricultural safety inspectors to discuss priority topics and provide ideas and practical approaches for establishing good safety practices on farms.

Program of topics

WorkSafe Commissioner, Sally North will introduce a program of topics based on the priorities in WorkSafe’s First steps to farm safety guide, including:

  • machinery guarding
  • quad bikes and side by side risk management
  • hazardous chemicals
  • electrical hazards
  • children on farms
  • safe sheds

Program speakers

  • Tracy Blaszkow, Manager, Kidsafe WA
  • Joseph Byrne, WorkSafe – Inspector, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS)
  • Lee Holland, AusChem Trainer
  • Geoff Kennedy, WorkSafe – Senior Inspector, DEMIRS
  • Sally North, WorkSafe Commissioner
  • Jaime Rebelo, Director – Worksafe Industrial and Regional, DEMIRS
  • Craig Sullivan, WorkSafe – Inspector, DEMIRS

Take the learning beyond the podium into the breaks and connect, collaborate and share ideas with others in the agricultural industry.

Who should attend?

Agricultural and farm operators, health and safety representatives, statutory officers and others who have a role or interest in health and safety and the prevention of fatalities in the WA agricultural industry are encouraged to attend.

Book to attend

The Slip: What good looks like – a stage play

Supported by the Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Program, The Slip stage play runs statewide through Safe Work Month. It explores the successful safety leadership seen in Utah’s Bingham Canyon Manefay mine slip. Acting Consulting Training (ACT) Australia and New Zealand actors bring the story to life with thought-provoking and interactive facilitation.

The state tour kicks off Safe Work Month on 1 October in Perth, then visits Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Bunbury, Karratha and Port Hedland through October, with a final event in Perth on 7 November.

This event is free for the WA mining industry, with registrations required.

What is it about?

The Slip explores work health and safety fundamentals including safety culture, psychosocial and physical hazards. With a run time of approximately three hours, this live theatre offers an immersive experience for the audience that brings the reality of safety to life.

State tour

State tour locations and dates

  • Perth – 1 October and 7 November
  • Kalgoorlie – 10 October
  • Geraldton – 16 October
  • Bunbury – 22 October
  • Karratha – 28 October
  • Port Hedland – 29 October

Who should attend?

Executives, senior leaders, health and safety representatives, supervisors and frontline workers in the WA mining industry, as well as representatives from industry associations and unions, and other mining stakeholders with an interest in health and safety.

Book to attend

Work Health and Safety Excellence Awards

The 2024 Work Health and Safety Excellence Awards culminate Safe Work Month on the morning of Thursday, 31 October at Optus Stadium, celebrating health and safety initiatives across Western Australian workplaces.

There are a record number of 41 finalists this year, with 89 submissions from companies and/or individuals. The Department congratulates the finalists and thanks all entrants.

Winners and certificates of merit across five categories will be announced at the awards ceremony. The event is free, but registrations are required.

Safe Work Month campaign kit

Safe Work Month campaign materials have been created for workplaces to download and use to promote and raise awareness for Safe Work Month.

Download our Safe Work Month campaign kit

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